Video games and Real life
Unnati Roongta
Psychology Major and Addictions worker, Amity University ? Cambrian college
Do video games amend the way we behave in real life?
Unnati A. Roongta
Amity University
Abstract
Scientists have found that action video game players exhibit better visual attention, motor control abilities and short-term memory (2017). But, could these benefits come at a cost? It’s a very controversial topic. Especially given the number of studies done on the topic with different kinds of findings. These studies have always intrigued psychologists and above all, some individuals who engage in the activity themselves. So, are video games after all good or bad for us? Let’s explore it.
Keywords: Visual attention, memory, abilities
Video games are a very common leisure activity for our teenage generation. Especially during Covid-19, they weren’t just a pass time anymore, they were a coping mechanism for many. This also increased the number of people who were part of the gaming community. It is important for us to note that even though there can be costs of video games, they aren’t always causing harm to individuals. In fact, studies say that they can also be used in therapeutic ways for some individuals with the help of a professional.
Findings
So, how can video games possibly be helpful for individuals and how does it even have anything to do with our real lives? Video games help individuals improve focus, multitask, and work on memory. However, excessive video gamers run the danger of displaying worse social skills, issues with peers, and inferior educational and professional performance if they game for the majority of the day (von der Heiden et al., 2019).
Researchers have also found that low-performing students are more likely to spend more time playing, which may give them a sense of mastery that eludes them at school. Nonetheless, every hour that a child spends on video games is not spent doing homework, reading, creating, or participating in other activities that might have more educational benefit. However, excessive video game play often reduces time for physical activity, which could account for the link between the amount of gaming and obesity. Movement games (such as Dance Dance Revolution and some Nintendo Wii games) may have the opposite effect, however.
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But before we delve into what’s good and what’s not, let’s understand what video games even mean - A video game is defined as “a game which we play thanks to an audiovisual apparatus and which can be based on a story” (Martucci et al., 2023). For many years various scientists have done research to understand the diverse correlates of video games and it’s various effects. Although several studies have highlighted the advantages of gaming and even proposed the use of video games as a kind of therapy, others have expressed interest in the possible risks associated with it (von der Heiden et al., 2019).
Mostly the worry of professionals and parents is “addiction” to video games. Since the DSM-5 was released in 2013, the classification of problematic video game play as a mental condition has been made clear, even if video games may be extremely addicting and whether or not this type of conduct should be classified as a behavioral addiction is still up for dispute (von der Heiden et al., 2019). The DSM-5 is the diagnostic criteria laid down by the American Psychological Association (APA) on Gaming disorders. Until and unless one has the mentioned symptoms, and diagnosis by a professional, one cannot and should not be called an addict.
Now, from my personal experience in the past year, when I myself spent a large chunk of my time gaming has somewhat given me the empathy gamers require when we talk about this topic. This is obviously with a first hand experience of what it is like to be in a world of video games. So, I for the most part played games like Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege and Valorant which are competitive games - both also being first-person hero shooters with some amount of teamwork. But I also indulged in Warframe which is a?Third-person shooter and a Massively multiplayer online game. All these genres can be compared by comparing - the Content and Structure of the video game paired with the Amount of time we spend playing it.. But why is the type of game you play important in how it will affect us?
First person versus third person shooter multiplayers. Okay, so, when we look at a first person shooter game like Valorant or Rainbow Six Siege, the Content may determine what players take with them from the game to real life while the structure depends on the on-screen look. Eg, how much a player has to scan the screen for tiny details which involves visual attention along with audio if they have to listen to sounds. Some negative effects like a sense of over-confidence, superiority or even grandeur that takes over a person (some even are abusive towards other players who don’t perform so well) on winning and a sense of shame, anger or irritability for a person who is losing. But at the same time, some positives would be the hand eye coordination (this is also why it can be used therapeutically with individuals who have ADHD or are on a certain level on the spectrum?in Autism). At the same time, these games also help with learning how to pair visual and audio along with reflexes, improved ability to switch between tasks, better information processing, coordination and cooperation due to teamwork and prediction to some extent.?
Third person shooter multiplayer games. These games do not have violent shooting but at the same time, games like Warframe, World of Warcraft have a level up system. Which is a highly rewarding system, play to win games like these lead to release of dopamine (a feel-good hormone). This might become problematic when the individual is having some lows in life or not being able to perform at work or school because in such a case, these games will fulfill the lack of confidence or importance that one might not be able to give themselves In Real Life. However, this very game can be used with individuals to improve social skills or social initiation and learning how to build a community. At the same time, real life cannot always provide the same pleasure or the same high as these games when we complete a task. Thus, making some of us procrastinate and go back to these games.
But, is everyone into gaming for the same reasons? How does it affect our work or school life? Well, there’s a combination of any of the top 12 reasons for why someone moves to gaming - Destruction, Competition, Challenge, Completion, Fantasy, Design, Excitement, Community, Strategy, Power, Story or Discovery. A combination of these traits lead us to play more. These traits keep changing with different games and our personal needs. But, like we discussed earlier, these traits cannot be equally fulfilled by real life like it is in video games. Thus, making schools and workplaces seem drab/boring or even unstimulating altogether.?
Sometimes, games stimulate so many regions of our brain through audio, video, detailing, memory etc. all at the same time that we get used to it. And when classrooms or work presentations are unable to do the same, we lose interest and attention. Thus, leading to loss of a job sometimes. However, again, this isn’t caused by a specific game, it’s about the Amount of time we invest in it along with the amount of time we remove for other, simpler activities like, eating, sleeping or working.
Key takeaways
Conclusion
Video games have potential danger when played excessively just like any other activity done excessively. We also need to understand that even though we indulge ourselves in such games, it is important for us to focus on how many of our resources we are spending on them. Whether that is simply taking time out to eat or sleep. Being mindful about these little things is especially important right now because Covid-19 has benched us to an extent where it is difficult for some of us to see a life where we have to get up each morning and go to work, school or college. This is a world where the existence of video games in our lives will either be difficult or impossible altogether. However, if one is facing difficulties, understandably so, keeping away from these games, it’s always a good idea to seek help from a professional or seek safe spaces like friends or family for oneself that might help deal with the issue.
At the same time, we also need to understand that the developers of the above games probably did not intend to have created these severe effects of their games. These games have only been developed for individuals to break from their everyday lives.?
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